SARA Cox was absent from her Breakfast Show this morning following the death of her step-father, Ken Costello, last night.
A spokesman for the station said: "Sara asked for time off. Our thoughts go out to her and her family at such a terrible time."
Sara is not due back at the microphone until Monday at the earliest.
Her show is to be taken over in her absence by her BBC colleague Scott Mills.
Listeners to the show were told the 25-year-old's non-appearance was due to "personal reasons".
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